The Song of Leaves: Prologue

The Song of Leaves

         Rain poured over the Payne house as police sirens screeched through the air.  Detective Johnson had finally arrived on the scene, ten minutes after the nine-one-one call was made.
         “What happened?” he asked the first officer he found.
         “A Mr. and Mrs. Payne.  Double homicide in the main bed room. But…”
         “Malone….what?”
         “The bodies,” said Malone with horror etched in his face. “The bodies are… You’ll have to see when you go in there.”
         Johnson stared at Malone a few seconds longer and decided not to press the subject.  He’ll just have to go inside and see for himself.
         He continued up the pathway to the house, watching as the crowd outside the police tape grew as people flocked to the flashing lights like moths.  He went through the door, making a mental note  that the lock was not damaged.
         “No apparent forced entry.” He said to himself.
         An officer standing outside the room furthest to the back beckoned Johnson to come towards him.
         “Over here.” He said.
         Johnson walked through the threshold of the room and…
         “Jesus, “ he whispered, “what the hell happened here?”
         “This is my house! Let me in! I live here damn it! Let… me… in!” yelled a young man’s voice from outside.
         Johnson broke away from the scene that entranced him and hurried outside.
         “Let him go Malone.” he said coolly.
         “Where are my parents? Are they ok?”
         Johnson surveyed him and sighed before finally responding, “I’m sorry to be the one who has to inform you, but your parents have been murdered.  Now, if you can come with me, I have some questions I need to…”
         “What about Isabelle?” said the young man.
         “Isabelle?”
         “She’s my younger sister, where is she?”
         “Sister?” said Johnson as he turned and ran quickly back into the house, followed closely by the young man.  He burst into the first door he found.  He was right:  the room was pink and filled with different dolls and teddy bears.
         “Isabelle!” yelled Johnson, “are you in here!”
         He fell to his knees by the bed and his head disappeared under it.
         “Detective,” whispered the young man as he pointed towards the closet.
         Johnson saw it too.  There was a faint glow of blue light coming from the door.  The perpetrators must be hiding there;  the idiots forgot to turn off their flashlight.  Johnson slowly rose to his feet, taking his gun from its holster.  He motioned for the young man to open the door, with his gun pointed directly at the closet.  He mouthed, “On Three.”
         1.…
         2.…
         3.…
         The young man turned the handle, pulled and the room was engulfed in the light.  Johnson felt as if his entire body, down to the very cells, was being torn apart.  He screamed from the agony, but had the feeling that it was pointless.  No one would hear him, because he was alone... he was doomed.
         Then the pain stopped, Johnson could feel he was lying face down in dirt and rocks.  He rolled over and stared into the sky; the sun was shining bright.  He must have passed out from the pain because it was night when he had received the call over the transmitter.  The scenery was calming, but he knew something was wrong.  What happened to him?  Where was he now?  Why had he felt so much pain?
         He decided to sit up and take a look around.  He was lying on a river bank.  He sighed, “I guess I’m not in New York anymore.”  Wait, that was not his voice.  He cleared his throat and yelled, “Hey!” And again, a voice that was not his was issued.
         He got up and ran to the river to look at his reflection and there he was, seventeen-year-old Xavier Johnson.  He touched his face.  This couldn’t be real, he thought, he must still be inside the Payne house and that strange light must have done something funny to his mind.
         He finally noticed that the young man was lying unconscious under a tree.
         “Hey kid, wake up,” said Johnson. “Hey! Wake Up!”
         The young man stirred and said, “My name is Shawn, not kid.”
         Shawn opened his eyes and stared into the unfamiliar face and said, “And you are?”
         “Detective Xavier Johnson.”
         “What happened?”
         “I don’t know, but somehow, I’ve become seventeen.  I think it had something to do with that light.  Did it hurt you?”
         “No, but do you think that light did something to my sister?’
         “It’s possible, but she could very well still be back in your house hiding, or worse, she could be…”
         “Dead,” Shawn finished the sentence for him.  He looked as if he would cry.
         “There appears to be a city up the river,” said Johnson, “ I think we should go there and find out where we are.”
         Shawn nodded and got up, knocking the dirt off himself.  And so, they started walking towards the city, not knowing what horrors this new world had in store for them.